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Welcome to Season 3 of The Book Marketing Action Podcast with Becky Robinson, where we give you information that you can immediately implement to increase your influence and market your books more successfully.
This episode is special because we’re celebrating 100 podcast episodes and a decade in business! Across 10 years of marketing books, Becky and the Weaving Influence team have taken the lead on more than 160 launches.
Listen as Becky shares the top 10 lessons of book marketing, curated from the Weaving Influence team and a few friends who shared their ideas on social media.
10 Lessons Over 10 Years:
- When it comes to sharing the message of your book, say yes to every single opportunity that comes your way.
“Say yes to everything. Do as much as you can, when you can, for as long as you can!” —Nikki Groom
- Start sooner than you think you need to.
“Successful marketing starts before you’ve written a single word: Who’s the book for, how will they be better off for having read it?” —David Dye
- Give away as many books as you can.
“Getting your book into people’s hands is a great way for them to get a sense of what you stand for, and can be an excellent way to open doors for any future engagements.” —Nikki Groom
“Mail one copy of your book every day to a client, prospect, referral source, or thought leader.” —Jon Lokhorst
- Your network is your most important secret weapon.
“Tap into your natural networks! You meet lots of kindred spirits as you progress in your career journey. Keep doing right by others, and when it comes time to promote your book, ask friends and colleagues to do you a solid by helping promote your book in any way that feels right to them. For one, it might be writing a great endorsement. For another, it might be having you on their podcast or introducing you to a media source. Friends help friends who have helped friends!” —Bill Treasurer
“Help others first. Often.” —Phil Gerbyshak
- Have a long-term plan.
“Book marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Love your book, so you access the energy you need to do everything you need to get it out in the world!” —Alain Hunkins
“Don’t feel like your book has a shelf life and you have to stop promoting it at a certain point.” —Nikki Groom
“Books have a LONG shelf life! So you need to take the long view… if your book is applicable across time, then ALL of your marketing should be designed to run over the long haul. Making an impact is a marathon, not a sprint.” —David Taylor-Klaus
“Your book is not egg salad. It does not go bad in the eyes of the Media because it’s been out a while!” —Mary O’Donohue
- Be willing to outsource some of the work of your book marketing journey. Hire someone who is a professional and trust their expertise.
“Plan your launch and launch your plan with a team.” —Jackie Stavros
- Selling books is hard. If it was easy, everyone would be a New York Times bestselling author.
“Authors do well when they have high hopes, but reasonable expectations.” —Kristen Frantz
- Own your role in the process.
“Best tip is to understand that you as the author are responsible for SELLING YOUR BOOK.” —John Baldoni
“Set yourself up for success by scheduling marketing activities into your calendar.” —Nikki Groom
- The more proactively you build relationships with your audiences, the more successful you will be.
“Think through the less obvious places where your message can help others in meaningful ways. Remember it is always about your reader, not about the book–or at least it is about how your book can meet a need in the reader, not only about the book.” —Shannon Huffman Polson
“Really think about who needs your book right now.” —Fauzia Burke
“Know who your book is for and how you can help them.” —Karin Hurt
“Do one thing a day to bring value to your readers.” —Jackie Stavros
- Bringing people together on your launch day drives amazing momentum.
Bonus Tips:
- Know when your book’s peak sales periods are or when people will be looking for your book.
“I’m a nonfiction author and both my books make great graduation gifts. I always schedule a couple of signings at local shops around peak ‘need’ times (graduation, back-to-school, Christmas). It alerts local folks who might attend, but it also gives me a fresh opportunity to push it out on social media.” —Nora Bradbury-Haehl
- Write multiple books.
“This is one of the most underrated pieces of advice I heard from a publisher a long time ago. Often it takes until the 3rd, 4th, or 5th title to really get that traction you want.” —Sara Jensen
- Appreciate the long-term value that you are creating.
“Keep working and growing your ideas. Invite people in and make your readers and audiences ‘insiders.’” —Mike Horne
If you found value in today’s episode, we hope you’ll take a moment to share it with someone else who might benefit from it. If you have any questions or topics you’d like us to cover, please email Becky Robinson here—and don’t forget to tell her which lesson is the most meaningful to you!
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I am the founder/CEO of the Weaving Influence team, the author of Reach: Creating the Biggest Possible Audience for Your Message, Book, or Cause, and the host of the Book Marketing Action Podcast. I’m a wife and mom of three kids, and I enjoy running, reading, writing, coffee, and dark chocolate.